Latin players lament makeup of Biogenesis offenders

Aug. 5, 2013
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Latin players in the Major League lamented that all 12 of the players who accepted 50-game suspensions Monday in the Biogenesis clinic scandal hail from Latin countries, including Detroit Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta. / Leon Halip, Getty Images

by Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY Sports

by Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY Sports

SAN FRANCISCO -- One didn't have to speak Spanish to decipher a common bond among the 12 players who accepted 50-game suspensions from Major League Baseball on Monday: They all hail from Latin countries.

Eight Dominican players, three Venezuelans and a Nicaraguan made up the list of players MLB banned for their ties to the Biogenesis clinic, which has been accused of distributing performance-enhancing drugs.

The list is headed by All-Stars Nelson Cruz and Jhonny Peralta of the Dominican Republic and Nicaraguan shortstop Everth Cabrera.

The sobering numbers were not lost on other Latin players, and Dominican outfielder Carlos Gomez of the Milwaukee Brewers said he personally knows all his countrymen who got disciplined and was bothered to hear the news.

"None of those guys lack the ability to play this game,'' said Gomez, a first-time All-Star this season. "I believe having the wrong people around you leads you to commit such stupid acts, which sooner or later come to light.They all have plenty of skills. I don't understand why they would do something this stupid.

"It doesn't affect just Latin guys. It affects all of baseball, because whenever you do something outstanding, everybody starts looking at you like, 'Such-and-such is playing really well and he was never this good before, so we need to check what's going on. Maybe he's clean. Maybe not.' It's an epidemic for baseball.''

Gomez has spent the past 3½ seasons playing alongside Ryan Braun, who accepted a 65-game suspension two weeks ago in the scandal. Other than Alex Rodriguez, born in New York to Dominican parents, Braun is the only American-born player disciplined in the Biogenesis scandal. A-Rod is appealing his suspension.

Across the hallway at AT&T Park before Monday's game, some San Francisco Giants players also pondered the day's events. Venezuelans Gregor Blanco and Guillermo Quiroz said they did not feel embarrassed that so many Latin players were caught cheating, because every person is unique and responsible for his actions.

But they agree there are some common factors.

"They need to inform the players better when the come to the U.S.,'' said Quiroz, a backup catcher. "If you have an agent who tells you, 'This is going to help you give your family a better life and have a better career in the big leagues,' a lot of guys are going to do it, even without knowing what they're doing.''

Blanco said he feels for his baseball brethren.

"It's sad so many of them are Latin, but it's beyond that,'' Blanco said. "They're fellow baseball players, be they Latin or American, you don't like to see them make those mistakes.''